Gold Dust Woman
by Mychelle in a Wonderland
Summary: A basement, a bottle of whiskey and two women getting to know each other in the quiet of the night. / Marlana / Femslash


**Disclaimer:** Hannibal doesn't belong to me. I'm not doing any profit with this story.

 **Summary:** A basement, a bottle of whiskey and two women getting to know each other in the quiet of the night.

 **Universe:** Hannibal (TV show)

 **Ships:** Alana Bloom/Margot Verger  
 **  
** **A.N¹:** Set after Margot and Alana's first meeting in _Aperitivo_. Unbeta'd.

 **X_X_X**

 **Gold Dust Woman  
** _  
_ _By Mychelle in a Wonderland_

 **X_X_X**

After one afternoon spent on the Verger state, Alana Bloom was almost reconsidering her plans of justice and revenge.

When she started to think about this plan while she was still bedridden and broken in a hospital bed, Alana resigned herself to the fact that she would have to bend some of her morals and principles for her plan to work out. Alana knew that her kind, righteous old self would have to become more flexible on her morals or she would never stand a chance, and she was ready for making these changes.

However, an afternoon spent listening to Mason Verger's complaints and innuendos was almost enough to make Alana give up the whole enterprise.

Almost.

Because as much as an unpleasant person as he was, Mason still wasn't enough reason to make her change her mind, not when the shadow of Hannibal's threat was still hovering over her every time Alana closed her eyes.

No, not playing wasn't an option available to her, and if the price was to tolerate Mason Verger's crude comments, Alana would have to just deal with it.

After their long conversation that included a lot of innuendos and very little useful information, Mason had declared that he needed to rest and that Alana would be shown to her new accommodations in the mansion. After all, the night had fallen already and Mason wouldn't dream of sending her off alone in a night like this… it could be dangerous, after all.

It was a veiled threat and a blatant attempt of manipulation - Mason seemed to be the type to want his toys close, where he could control then - but Alana agreed without resistance. In the past she would have never agreed in sleeping at a patient's house, the simple notion being highly unethical for her, but Alana didn't become Mason's psychiatrist to treat him - for the brief conversation they shared, she doubted such a thing was even possible.

But as much as it was an advantage for Mason to keep her close, it was also an advantage for Alana. It was useful for her to understand how the Verger mansion worked from the inside, to understand its weakness and its strength. Alana was not afraid to admit to herself that this long-planned hunt was something out of her depths, and she needed every single advantage that she could put her hands on.

With this settled, Alana had been showed to her room, one of the many guest bedrooms; it was mostly bare in decorations, but it was a big room, a suite as it was. Alana wasn't truly prepared to spend the night and she didn't bring a change of clothes, but at least the bathroom was equipped with unopened hygiene products. Alana wasn't planning on moving permanently in the house, but if she would spend some nights per week on it, perhaps it would be convenient to bring some of her clothes in the next time she came.

A few hours later, when it still was early night, Alana found herself wandering alone in the infinite corridors of the mansion, a little intimidated by the silence. Alana was no stranger to large, rich decorated places, but there was something very eerie about the Verger mansion. There was an opulence, a grandiosity about the place that screamed old money. If she was honest it was a little tacky, but it was equally beautiful.

The wandering didn't have a destination; Alana didn't have a clear objective besides acclimating herself to the ambient. She wasn't foolish enough to believe that there wasn't any personal guards nearby, but even under surveillance it would be smart to know the lion's den.

Alana was only just admiring the odd decor of one of the many living rooms when she heard footsteps behind her.

"Doctor Bloom," a smooth, feminine voice said "It's good to see you still around."

Alana smiled involuntary and turned around to face Margot Verger.

"Please, call me Alana. You are not my patient, after all."

Margot smiled lightly at her words, and Alana didn't waste the opportunity to stare; Margot's hair was loose now, falling softly over her shoulders, and she was wearing less formal clothing. Not that Alana would call the smart dress pants and the black and golden blouse she was wearing an informal outfit, but it was less severe than the riding clothes she was wearing when Alana first saw her.

"Only if you return me the favor and call me Margot."

Alana caught herself smiling once again - she had just met the woman, but she seemed to have this effect over her.

"I presume my brother provided a room for you to stay," Margot said, her mouth twisting a little when she said the word brother.

"He did, yes. I wasn't expecting to stay the night, but I'm not against the idea."

"Mason has his ways of being very convincing," Margot's voice gained a wry tone "But if you find yourself in need of anything, please come to me and not him. I'm sure you realized already that my brother can have a… volatile temper."

Alana resisted the impulse to snort; volatile was putting it lightly.

"I'll keep it in mind," Alana answered, looking into Margot's eyes - she kept the contact.

"Excellent. And since we established that, I would like to invite you for a nightcap."

Alana was taken aback with the invitation.

"A nightcap?"

"I have the impression that you're going to be a frequent presence in the house from now on," Margot replied "Wouldn't it be for the best if we get to know each other better?"

If this was like any other patient that Alana had, she would have said no. It would not be very proper to get close to the family of a patient, no matter how pleasant they showed themselves to be.

But once again Alana reminded herself that she wasn't in the Verger mansion for therapy.

"Sure, I would be happy to."

Margot only smirked, and started to lead the way.

 **X_X_X**

"I will admit that I'm a little surprised at the location," Alana said, carefully stepping around in the dark.

"That's good, then. I like to be surprising."

Margot was walking in front of Alana, her knowledge of the space showing itself in the way that she easily moved around until she found a switch and turned on the lights.

Alana blinked in the sudden clarity but soon found out that the light didn't light up the entire ambient, giving the basement an intimate and secretive air.

Yes, a basement, because that's where they stood; the basement was cleaner and more neat than Alana would expect of such a place, but it was still dark and full of old, moldy things.

"You spend a lot of time here?" Alana asked in an impulse, curious to know what exactly Margot Verger was trying to do.

"I used to, when I was younger. Mason never liked the basement too much, so he didn't use to seek me out here."

"And now it's even more unlikely for him to come down here," Alana commented, trying to sound neutral.

"There's that," Margot nodded "So I like being here. His eyes and ears that predominate the rest of the house don't come down here often, too."

Margot guided Alana to a small black leather couch that seemed to be a clean, even if it was a little old.

"You are certainly making sure that we'll be left alone at least for a while," Alana pointed out while she was carefully sitting down, minding her injury.

Margot only hummed, walking in the direction of a cabinet and taking two glasses from there.

"And I'm really not trying to be subtle here," Margot said as she retrieved a bottle which contained a dark liquid from the same cabinet and poured some of that liquid in both glasses.

"Is it whiskey?" Alana asked, instead of pressing more questions about the previous insinuation.

"Hmm, yes, it is. Is it alright? I should have asked."

"It's okay, really." Once upon a time, Alana's preferences would have been into less strong beverage, but after her release from the hospital she soon learned that strong alcohol was a new acquired taste.

Margot smiled thinly and brought both glasses to the couch, sitting beside Alana.

"So, Alana…" Margot said her name slowly, as if testing how the word sounded into her mouth "I have to admit that I'm impressed. You are the first psychiatrist that managed to stand more than a few hours in the job."

Alana didn't doubt it. In any other situation, she wouldn't have wanted to spend any of her time in Mason's company.

"I assume that in part it's because your brother has some high expectations for his therapy."

Margot tutted.

"I think we both know that therapy isn't the reason why my brother wants you around… Doctor."

It wasn't exactly a shock to know that Margot was aware of Mason's plans, but it was still surprising to see the naturality of how Margot spoke about the unspoken manhunt that Alana had just signed up for.

"Should I assume that you are completely aware of the… situation?"

Margot smirked into the glass; the motion looked like a dry kiss, making Alana briefly wonder how those lips would feel against her's.

"Oh, completely. I was in the eye of the storm, as a manner of speaking."

Margot didn't elaborate, but she didn't need to. Alana had known that both Verger's siblings had been Hannibal's patients.

"Yet you don't seem as… eager as your brother is in his crusade."

"Therapy with doctor Lecter granted me a few scars, sure, but nothing as bad as it was for my brother."

Alana cocked an eyebrow; that would be a huge euphemism.

"Mason is looking for revenge, and I'm not. If anything, I would like to thank the man for making Mason slow down," Margot chuckled, wryly.

Alana finally took a sip from her glass, tasting the strong liquor and pondering about what she just heard. She had known that the Verger siblings weren't exactly a perfect family, but until this afternoon she had no idea of how bad it was. Alana couldn't put judgment on Margot for her obvious distaste of her sibling; she might not know the whole story, but it was already clear that Mason was not a nice, loving brother.

"Are you… against your brother's plans of catching Hannibal?"

Margot shrugged.

"It would be pointless to do so. What Mason wants, Mason gets. It's smarter to comply and to be around when the action happens, so I can have some chance of controlling the events."

"And what exactly do you want, Margot?"

Margot looked straight at her, the intensity of her gaze capturing Alana at once.

"I want my brother away from me. I don't care how. It can be the FBI arresting him or it can be doctor Lecter finishing the job he started. I just want him _gone_."

Being a psychiatrist specialized in familial trauma, Alana had been around too many abuse victims, making it impossible to not recognize the same fear and the same hatred in Margot's voice. Alana was trying to make herself colder and less sensitive these days, but it was impossible to not feel compassion for Margot in that moment.

It also made her once again ask herself how and why Margot was trusting her this much.

"And why exactly are you telling me this? How can you be sure that I won't go to your brother and tell him everything?"

Margot took a long sip from her glass before answering.

"I did my research on you. The information wasn't as detailed as I hoped for, but it was enough for me to understand that you're a decent person that normally wouldn't associate with someone like my brother. This is personal for you."

Alana swallowed, not denying it but not explaining it further - she had just met Margot, and didn't feel particularly inclined to disclose her complicated history with Hannibal Lecter.

"And what makes you sure that I remain being a decent person after what happened to me?"

Margot cocked an eyebrow.

"I'm a good judge of character. But mostly I have to say that I like you," Margot looked down for a few seconds, looking almost coy "And I would hate to see you suffer the same end that people who associate with my brother usually suffers."

Alana took another small sip of her glass and looked at Margot in a silent question.

"Mason has the habit of using people as his personal pets, or toys. He likes someone until they are amusing or useful, and that's that. After that, he usually throws his toys out… or he breaks them beyond repair."

"I am not your brother's toy," Alana pointed out, pondering Margot's words, words that confirmed the suspicious thoughts that Alana had since she first thought of this alliance.

"You already are in his eyes," Margot shook her head "And as I said: what Mason wants, Mason usually gets. You'll have to play by his rules Alana, but that doesn't mean you have to blindly follow him. Actually, you should do the opposite. This could easily get you killed, or worse."

Alana sighed loudly and nodded; she could see the not-so-careful attempts of manipulation in turning Alana's against Mason, as if such thing hadn't happened two minutes after Alana met the man.

"And are you warning me about the dangers out of kindness, Margot?"

Margot looked down for a few seconds, slowly licking her lips and making Alana follow the motion with her eyes.

"I won't insult your intelligence and say that it is out of the kindness of my heart. I just think it's a situation that can benefit us both; you need an ally, I need an ally. And I like to think I'm a more pleasant company than my brother."

"This is not even up for debate," Alana snorted.

"And as I have said before… I already like you, Alana. You are beautiful, and smart, I can already tell. I think you and I could be great friends."

Alana looked down when Margot said that, blushing lightly and taking a sip of her forgotten whiskey, already lukewarm due the warmth of her hand.

"The way you've been looking at me all night tells me that friendship is not exactly what you want with me, Margot."

Alana looked up again to see the expression in Margot's face; the woman didn't seem affected in being called out on her flirting, sustaining eye contact with a slight smile on her lips.

."Well, it's only our first date. I don't want to give you the impression that I'm throwing myself at you."

"I wouldn't mind if you did."

The words came out of her mouth without thought, in an impulse that made Alana look down again - not because she was embarrassed by the implication but because of how unexpected it was. She couldn't afford to be this impulsive, not when she was actively playing with fire as she was.

"You flatter me, Alana. Still, I don't put out in the first date. I'm not that kind of girl, you know."

Alana shook her head.

"And some first date we're having. I'm a little disappointed, I have to confess."

Margot opened her mouth dramatically, her mouth curving into a pretty _o_ shape.

"Well, we certainly can't have that, can we? Tell me what I can do to give you a more pleasant experience, Alana."

Margot's low tone of voice was dripping innuendo once again, but Alana tried to ignore that for the time being.

Putting her glass in the couch near her thigh, Alana turned to better face Margot.

"I want you to tell me about yourself. Just you. Not your family, your brother, nor Hannibal or Will. Just tell me something about you. I just want to remember that…"

 _I just want to remember that the world still exists beyond them. Beyond it all._

Alana didn't manage to articulate the late part of her thoughts, but she thought she already had said far too much, certainly more than she ever intended to do. She should have learned the first time around that such openness was dangerous, deadly. And it didn't matter how gorgeous and smart Margot Verger was - Alana knew that there was a dangerous woman behind the elegant disguise.

Even so, Alana couldn't quite regret her blabbering. Her broken bones were remade of a steely material, but it was tiresome to be on her guard every minute of every day. All this pretense, all this caution made her crave something pure, something or someone that she could look at without having to calculate all her answers. And if Margot could lift one of her many masks and let Alana peek behind it, well…

Their relationship, whatever form it would take, could be a very interesting one indeed.

"There's few things I love more than riding a horse."

Margot's voice interrupted Alana's thoughts, making her look at Margot with unabashed curiosity.

"My brother and I were given basic riding lessons as children. He grew bored soon enough, but I didn't. I kept trying and I kept learning even after the lessons stopped."

She looked down for a moment, wetting her lips with the whiskey, clutching the glass tightly.

"I haven't experienced freedom in many ways in my life, but I do when I'm riding with them."

Alana nodded, looking away for a few moments - it seemed like the polite thing to do, considering the wistful tone in Margot's voice.

"Now it's your turn."

Alana thought that she ought to take a few minutes before answering, that she should think about something adequate, but instead she ended up blurting "Since I was a child, I've been terrified of flying."

"Oh?"

Alana recovered her glass from besides her and took a sip, not looking at Margot.

"Most of my relatives lived nearby or at most they lived a state away, so there wasn't need of making use of a plane. Even so, I was terrified at the idea. My brothers used to make fun of me, telling me awful stories about accidents so I would be even more scared, which worked really well."

"As an adult the fear was manageable. I could use a plane, but that didn't mean I had to like it. I often slept the entire trip away."

"And did it change at some point?"

"Not really. But I think it may be different now. It seems pointless to cling to a childhood fear after what I survived."

Margot nodded slowly, not interrupting.

"Trauma has a way of change your personality, your worldview," Alana said after a few moments of silence "That's what I always said to my patients. That's what I always knew. But only now I truly understand it in all the ways."

Alana bit her lip, refusing to look away but finding it impossible to remain motionless. Alana just wanted to take a deep breath but the air between them was full of tension, so she stopped herself.

"I have a lot of experience with trauma," Margot broke her silence "In ways that no person should have. And it's different for each person, of course, but in my experience I can say I'm not my trauma. My trauma may have shaped me, but I am what I am. Not because of my trauma, but despite of it."

The concept was not new, of course, but Alana never heard it said with such disconcerting sincerity. Margot was really being honest, just like Alana asked her to be.

Margot was also being kind; Alana didn't realize she was seeking reassurance until Margot gave it to her.

Staring at her in mute gratitude, Alana once again analyzed the woman in front of her. Margot was beautiful and sharp and had a great fashion sense. She was also incredible smart and undoubtedly dangerous. She was a survivor, and she intended to remain alive.

In the old days, Alana would be hesitant to approach someone like Margot. She would keep a safe, professional distance and would try to help her without getting involved.

But so much had changed, and what Alana used to want and fear was pointless now. Now there was no need to suffocate her attraction for Margot; it was better to let it blossom and grow, to watch it become something else.

Alana had denied herself multiple opportunities in the name of what was safe and had ended up in bed with a notorious serial killer just to be defenestrated later; she was done with playing safe. She learned the hard way that the only safety she could trust was one she had control, and control it she would now.

And Margot had the potential to be a marvelous ally. Only time would tell if she was right, but Alana was willing to play.

"I was sixteen the first time I kissed a girl."

Margot's eyes widened for a few seconds in amused surprise at her words, and congratulating herself for the reaction, Alana continued to play.

 **THE END**

 **N.A.:** It was reported that during BTRDC 2, Katharine Isabelle said that Margot and Alana's first date was drinking whiskey in a basement, so I decided to play with the idea a little.

Thanks for reading! Comments are always welcome!


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